Sichuan stir-fried cabbage with chilli

The Chinese invented the cooking technique of "chao" or quick stir-fry centuries ago. Every one of us has enjoyed a fried rice, or a vegetable (beef and broccoli) stir-fry, but this technique is so much more. The idea is that a very hot heat will sizzle the proteins and help meld the flavours with the vegetables. It is a very rapid technique, full of action, but most stir-fried dishes take less than 5 minutes to make.

This is a really quick dish to make as well. Cabbage, often thought of as a bland vegetable, is spiced with lots of dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns; it is spicy, tongue-numbing, and spectacular. The quick-seared sweet cabbage flavours are contrasted with the spicy peppers and a hint of tartness from the vinegar. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish.

This excellent book on Sichuan cooking is a must-have on every bookshelf. The recipes range from the simple, like this one, to the more complex and involved. This is a book I'm slowly getting into, with lots of unique and fun recipes to try.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

3-4 tablespoons oil

10-15 dried red chillies, I use Kashmiri chillies, but you can substitute any spicy dried chilli

1 1/2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns

1 lb cabbage, Napa, Savoy or regular cabbage, cut into thin bite-sized pieces, keeping the stems

Salt, to taste

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

1 1/2 Chinking vinegar or Chinese cooking vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Combine the salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar in a bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a wide pan or a wok. Add the chillies and Sichuan peppercorns, and sauté for 20 seconds until the oil is flavoured and the chillies turn a shade darker. Be careful, the chillies burn very easily. Add the cabbage and toss well so the chillies do not burn. Turn the heat up to medium.

When the cabbage is just about to begin wilting, add the soy sauce mixture and cook until the sauce has evaporated and evenly coats the cabbage. You want the cabbage to remain crunchy, not soft and mushy, and not overcooked.

Serve immediately for best results, or it can be reheated later.